


George's New Start

by ZDcookie_996



Series: I've Fallen for my Teammate [5]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alex and Nicky talk, Austria 2020, Belgium 2020, First Kiss, George and Alex talk, George crashes, George moves on, Jealous Alex, M/M, Monza 2020, Set mainly in 2020, Silverstone 2020, Teammates Bonding, Williams Family leave F1, mentions of lockdown, new relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-19 00:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29866158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZDcookie_996/pseuds/ZDcookie_996
Summary: As the 2020 season kicks off, will George find happiness as he moves on from Lando?
Relationships: Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr, Nicholas Latifi/George Russell
Series: I've Fallen for my Teammate [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025877
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	1. Moving on and Teammates Bonding

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I've finally decided to start writing about George and his eventual new relationship as he moves on from Lando. As I've mentioned before, I was just going to write all of my little chapters focusing on Carlos and Lando but as its mainly set during the 2020 season, I figured it would be better to just write it race by race. It should make more sense as I start writing more chapters. Can you take a guess as to who George's new partner will be? What else do you wish to see in this series? Hope you all enjoy and I'll update soon!

George was excited for the season to restart again. As much as he enjoyed spending time with his family over lockdown and had fun on the simulator, he was desperate to go out and actually drive a F1 car. 

It wasn’t until George was back in the paddock when the season restarted in Austria that he remembered he would have to face both Lando and Carlos. 

Pre-season testing had been difficult, he was aware that his dad had confronted Lando but he had been determined to go to Australia and just focus on the race. As it turned out, the race didn’t go ahead. George flew back to England afterwards and had gone straight to his parent’s house, refusing to stay in London.

He had called Lando when the news came out that a member from McLaren had tested positive and the team had withdrawn themselves from the race. He put their differences aside because he was actually concerned but they hadn’t really had any further contact. It had been one of the few times where he had gotten in touch with Lando or spoken to him on his own. In Spain, he had been able to put on a front which was helped by Alex but he knew it wouldn’t last forever. Then things with covid changed and it was around four months before they saw each other face to face.

George hadn’t yet forgiven Lando or Carlos about the affair but he had been thinking about Lando and their relationship. What if things had been different? Could he have changed his behaviour? Had they been honest with one another?

He spent time with Lando online but then he was spending time with other drivers, mainly Charles and Alex. In a way, it was weird not having Lando compete in some of the virtual races as he had technical difficulties. At the end of the day, they were doing it for charity. If it meant George had to act friendly with Lando then he would do it for the fans. He could put on a front because at least Carlos wasn’t racing. 

Alex had been concerned about him. They would often message one another to arrange a time or day to spend time online together. Some of the time, they were racing alongside Charles, Arthur and Luca. It meant that George could forget about Lando. 

George had insisted that Alex had to act normal around Lando when they were racing online or playing games because the fans wanted to see them compete against one another. He could act, he had done it in Spain and he was fully aware it would happen in the future. 

“Mate, please. Just don’t act any differently online because then the fans will ask questions and we’re not bringing it up.” Insisted George.

Alex just sighed and agreed to act civil. In truth, he was good friends with Lando but he would always side with George because they had known each other for longer. George knew this but he wanted to be the better person. He was aware that Lando was probably wondering what was going on but then if anything was going on in public, everything was just an act.

Lando didn’t know what to make of it but he knew that even if he wanted to be friends with George, he needed the fellow Brit to forgive him. He was also aware that Alex didn’t trust him and he could understand that. He could only hope that with time, his friends would forgive him although he was selfish to think that they would forgive him quickly.

George had seen Lando and Carlos enter the paddock together one day and he didn’t know what to think. He should be getting used to it seeing as he was no longer in a relationship with Lando but the fact that he was left alone whilst Lando was in another relationship hurt. He was determined to focus on his driving. He could forget about Lando as long as the Brit stayed out of his way. 

He had no issues in congratulating his ex on his podium at the first race in Austria. He was feeling slightly bitter about his own race as well as the fact that Alex’s race was ruined again but he was genuinely happy about Lando’s podium. The Brit would probably look at his message and think it was a front but he had known that Lando had a tough year in his rookie season. Lando deserved a podium and George could put his anger and pain to one side to congratulate him. 

Everyone stayed in Austria before they headed off to Hungary as they weren’t technically allowed to leave because of covid protocols. George spent most of the Monday after the race in the gym. He had seen Lando and Carlos in the hotel and he wanted to distract himself. If he allowed himself to just sit down, he would think about Lando and he couldn’t do that. He knew there was no way they would ever get back together but he couldn’t help but think about his ex when he wasn’t keeping himself busy. His mum had been worried when he found himself questioning if their relationship could’ve survived had he been a better boyfriend. Alison made sure not to tell Steve about their son’s thoughts otherwise he would just get angry.

George was somewhat surprised when he received a text message from Nicky in the afternoon asking if he wanted to spend the next day with him. He hadn’t expected his teammate to get in touch but he liked spending time with the Canadian and he knew it would be a distraction so he agreed to go out. 

Aleix had gone out for a run that night and so George was left on his own in their hotel room. He frowned when there was a knock at the door as he wasn’t expecting any visitors. It was a surprise to George when he found Alex standing outside his room.

“Hey.”

“Hi, can I come in?” Asked Alex.

George nodded and opened the door wider for his friend to step in. Alex walked into the room and sat down on George’s bed.

“How are you after yesterday?” Asked George.

Alex let out a deep sigh.

“It sucks, I could’ve had a podium but things didn’t work out.” He huffed.

George moved to sit down next to his friend.

“You’ll get a podium one day, I know you will.” He said, firmly.

Alex sighed then cleared his throat.

“Lando got his first podium.” 

George nodded and Alex narrowed his eyes.

“Did you mean what you said?” 

George just stared at his friend.

“You said you were mega happy for him, did you mean it?” Questioned Alex.

“I did, it doesn’t matter if we’re not friends right now or that we aren’t together. In terms of racing, he drove well and he deserved that podium.”

Alex looked down at his lap.

“I mean, you should’ve been on the podium too, I’m gutted for you.” Said George, softly.

Alex looked up and smiled at his friend then sighed.

“I still can’t believe he cheated on you.” 

George huffed.

“Alex, please, we shouldn’t talk about Lando. He’s moved on and maybe I should move on.” 

Alex bit his lip.

“Have you thought about it?” 

George frowned.

“Thought about what?”

“Moving on, going out with someone else.” Replied Alex.

George just stared at Alex as his friend cupped his cheek. The gap suddenly closed between them and their lips met. George froze as Alex kissed him. It didn’t last long as George pulled back and blushed.

“Alex.”

The Red Bull driver awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry.”

George sighed.

“I’m not ready for another relationship yet and no offence but I don’t want to ruin our friendship, I don’t know that it would work.”

Alex nodded frantically.

“I’m sorry.” George apologised.

“You don’t have to apologise, you’re right.” Insisted Alex.

An awkward silence fell upon the room until Alex nervously cleared his throat.

“I actually came to see you because I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow.” He said.

George fiddled around with his fingers.

“I’m actually going out with Nicky tomorrow.” 

Alex looked surprised.

“Oh.”

“He messaged me earlier, asked if I wanted to go out on a bike ride and maybe have a game of golf. I said yes because it would be a distraction from Lando and I originally had no plans. Aleix and Fergus will be joining us too.” Said George.

Alex nodded slowly and George felt a bit guilty.

“If I had known you were going to ask if you wanted to spend time together, I would’ve said no to Nicky.”

“George, it’s fine. Nicky asked first and I think it’s good to keep yourself distracted.” Said Alex, quickly.

George bit his lip as he thought nervously about how to raise the subject of the kiss to Alex.

“I think we should talk about, you know.”

Alex’s eyes widened.

“No, not tonight.” 

“Alex.”

George sighed as his friend stood up and quickly made his way towards the door.

“It’s fine, George. Everything is fine. You go out and have a nice day with Nicky and I’ll maybe see you on Wednesday.”

He turned to look at George who was standing with his arms folded, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Don’t avoid me.”

Alex chuckled nervously.

“I’m not going to do that, don’t be silly.”

George shook his head.

“I’ll see you later.” Said Alex.

George sighed when the door closed and he was left on his own. He had no idea that his best friend potentially had feelings for him and he didn’t know what to do with the information.

The next day, George and Aleix met Nicky and Fergus as they went out on a cycle around the mountains. The two drivers set the pace with Aleix and Fergus following behind them. At one point, they stopped for a break. Aleix and Fergus were admiring the view whilst George was sitting down on the grass, drinking from his water bottle. Nicky went and sat down next to him.

“It’s been a nice day for it.” Said Nicky.

George nodded.

“This view is amazing, I definitely needed this. Thank you for asking us to come along with you and Fergus.” 

Nicky waved a hand.

“I thought it would be a good idea to get to know you better.” He said, softly.

George turned to look at the Canadian and smiled.

“You want to know my darkest secrets, huh?” 

Nicky laughed.

“No, no. Nothing like that.”

George looked out at the view and Nicky looked at him as he wondered whether or not to ask what was on his mind.

“I heard things didn’t end well between you and Lando.”

George snorted.

“Unfortunately, it’s true.”

Nicky didn’t reply as he wondered if George was going to explain himself. After a minute of silence, George decided to tell Nicky about his relationship with Lando.

“Lando and I got together in China last year, we kissed in his driver’s room. Everything had been going well or so I thought. It turns out that Lando had been cheating on me with Carlos since Brazil. I walked in on them kissing in Lando’s apartment at the start of the year and he broke up.”

Nicky’s eyes widened.

“George, I’m so sorry.”

The Brit shrugged.

“It hurt me a lot. Having to go to pre-season testing knowing they would both be there, that was difficult. I’ve only just started getting used to seeing them together, I know I have to but it’s still hard.”

George sighed.

“I just wonder if things had been different, would we still be together? If I could’ve changed some things, it might have made a difference.”

“You can’t change the past but you don’t deserve to be with someone like that.” Insisted Nicky.

George looked up at his teammate and found him gazing into his eyes.

“I’ve known you for a few years now, George and all I can say is that you deserve to be with someone who cares about you. You deserve to be in a loving relationship.” Said Nicky, firmly.

George smiled.

“Thank you.” He murmured.

The two drivers gazed into each other’s eyes until Fergus called on them and they looked over at the coach.

“Are we going or what?” 

Both George and Nicky snorted before they stood up.

“Nicky?”

The Canadian looked back at his teammate.

“You won’t treat Lando any differently now that I’ve told you about what happened”? Asked George.

“I won’t act any differently.” Said Nicky.

George smiled and nodded. Nicky smiled at him before they got back on their bikes and continued cycling through the mountains.

Later in the afternoon, after they had both gotten changed and showered, they met to play some golf. The two teammates spent half the time laughing at each other as they pretended to be professional golfers. When the golfing came to an end, Nicky nudged his shoulder against George’s.

“We should go out and play more golf some time.” He suggested.

George smiled.

“I’d like that.”

Nicky winked at him before they both exchanged fist bumps with their coaches and went in their separate ways. 

That night as George lay in bed, it was the first time he began to consider if he could really move on from Lando and what it would be like to have another relationship again. To be with someone who loved him.


	2. Admissions and Crashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George is left questioning whether Alex is jealous of his teammate as he thinks about whether he has feelings for Nicky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Another chapter has been added! This one is set mainly in Silverstone and Spa as George questions Alex about the events mentioned in the previous chapter as he wonders if his friend is jealous of his teammate. I'm trying to add in George's thoughts about Lando and Carlos hence why sometimes there's not a lot of speech because I'm trying to show George's thoughts and feelings. What do you think about Alex's intentions? We'll need to wait and see if he backs down... Hope you enjoy and stay tuned for the next chapter!

George was very much aware that Alex was trying to avoid having a certain conversation with him. Things were fine if they were with other people but if it was just the two of them, Alex would nearly always change the subject. 

Eventually, George was able to speak to Alex as he wanted answers. He bumped into his friend in the paddock at Silverstone as they were both leaving after media day. George suggested sitting in his car so they could have a chat without anyone overhearing. Alex felt awkward.

“It feels like you’re going to kidnap me or something.” He tried to joke.

George just laughed and shook his head.

“This isn’t a kidnapping, I promise. I just want to talk about Austria since you’ve been avoiding the subject.” 

Alex sighed.

“You mean the kiss.” 

George nearly rolled his eyes.

“Yes, the kiss. You’ve never said anything.”

Alex sat in silence and George turned around slightly so he could face his friend but Alex was refusing to give him any eye contact.

“So, do you have feelings for me?” Asked George.

“I did.” Replied Alex, quietly.

George frowned.

“You did or you do now?”

Alex turned to look at George.

“I did but it’s clear you don’t have feelings for me.” He mumbled.

George sighed.

“Alex, I care about you alot, you’re one of my best friends but I don’t want a relationship right now. I don’t want to ruin our friendship by jumping into a relationship. You know things with Lando didn’t end well.”

Alex was about to interrupt until George held out a hand.

“I know you’re not Lando and you would never cheat but then I never thought that Lando would ever cheat on me.”

“I still can’t believe he cheated on you.” Said Alex, honestly.

George shook his head.

“It’s in the past and now it’s my time to move on but honestly I’m not ready for a relationship just yet. Also, I have to be honest, Alex. I don’t have feelings for you, I don’t look at you in that way. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologise, I’m sorry I kissed you but I wanted to tell you. I thought maybe I would have a chance and that you had moved on from Lando.” Said Alex.

“I have moved on but if I have another relationship, I want to take things slow. I want to know that I’m with someone I can trust.” Said George, honestly.

Alex smiled.

“You’ll find someone.” He insisted. 

The awkwardness fell away and Alex felt himself relax slightly. Then he remembered something.

“So, I saw on your insta post that you were at the Soho Farmhouse, you never said anything.” He pointed out.

“Oh yeah, I was there for a couple of days just to relax after the triple header.” Said George.

He bit his lip nervously and Alex was suspicious.

“Did you go alone?” Asked Alex.

“I went with Nicky.” Murmured George.

He blushed and Alex raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t want to jump into a relationship but you’ll spend time with Nicky at a farmhouse.” 

George narrowed his eyes.

“What I do is no one’s business. We were there as friends and that was it.” 

Alex sat back in the seat.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him, is there something going on?” 

George rolled his eyes.

“Am I not allowed to spend time with my teammate?” He asked.

Alex huffed.

“I just don’t understand why you’re spending so much time with him.” 

“He’s my teammate and he wants to get to know me, is that a problem?”

“Do you like him?” 

George paused as he was stunned at the question.

“Excuse me?”

“Do you like him, would you date him?” Asked Alex.

“Seriously, Alex?”

“I think he likes you.” Said Alex, quietly.

George rolled his eyes.

“What if he does?” 

“Would you date him?” Asked Alex.

George sighed.

“I’m not getting into this, Alex. I’ve already told you I don’t want to be in a relationship right now, you should just accept that.” 

Alex felt awkward. He should’ve kept quiet instead of persistently annoying his friend.

“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to look out for you, I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

“That’s why I want to take things slow when I do start dating again. My parents are still worried about me.” Said George, sadly.

Alex glanced over at George who was playing with the sleeves of his fleece. 

“Your parents have every right to be worried about you after what happened with Lando.” He said.

“I know.” Replied George softly. 

Alex sighed.

“I need to get going, I’ll see you around.”

George didn’t respond as he watched Alex stepping out of his car. He sat on his own for a while before he started up the engine and left the paddock. 

He had no idea what was going on in Alex’s head. He didn’t know if his friend was jealous of Nicky. His teammate wanted to get to know him as they had raced against each other before and George didn’t see it as a problem. He liked spending time with the Canadian. He would be lying if he said he didn’t like Nicky, his teammate was a nice guy, smart and funny. The only thing was he wasn’t sure if Nicky liked him. Then again, George wasn’t sure if it would be ideal entering into a relationship with his teammate. It seemed to be working for Carlos and Lando. There was no reason why it couldn’t work for him. He wasn’t sure if he was ready yet but he knew that if he did take a step forward, he would take it slowly.

As the season continued, George wasn’t sure what to make of Alex and his questions. There were times where his friend would bring up Nicky all the time and then there was the occasional conversation in which Nicky wasn’t mentioned at all. George didn’t understand. He had already told Alex that he wasn’t in a relationship. Why was he persisting in asking questions about Nicky? His teammate was a great guy. He didn’t see anything wrong in being friends with his teammate. They had grown close during the early stages of lockdown when they were doing the virtual grand prixes. It wasn’t just Nicky who George had gotten closer to but Charles as well. 

George decided to just get on with racing, there wasn’t much else he could do.

By the time everyone had arrived in Belgium, it was the seventh race of the season. George and Nicky were having fun as they were filmed taking a tour of the motorhome for the fans to see. The Brit wondered if Alex would comment about the video as he knew that the team would post it on social media. 

It was difficult for everyone who was racing at Spa, not just F1 but F2 as well as F3 because it had been a year since Anthoine Hubert had died. Most of the drivers knew they had to get on with driving. George knew he had to stay focused. He had been teammates with Anthoine back in F3 and he knew like a lot of drivers that Anthoine deserved a seat in F1. 

On race day, a lot of the drivers were chatting to Juan Manuel Correa who had been injured in the crash last year. George was busy chatting to Juan alongside Esteban, Romain and Carlos ahead of the F2 race. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that Carlos was there. He just had to push his feelings towards the Spaniard aside as today was the time to make comments. 

Things were awkward half the time between George and Carlos. Most of the time, George would just ignore him but when there was a camera nearby, he would act as if he was friends with the Spaniard. He didn’t want anyone to know about what had happened with the affair. If the media became aware of any tension, they would start asking questions. George was at the stage where he just wanted to get on with driving. Lando had moved on from him and he seemed happy with Carlos so George was going to leave them be. It was the same situation with Lando, George only really spoke to him if there was a camera nearby and he didn’t have much choice but to act friendly. He had to be the bigger person, he had to show Lando and Carlos that he was fine as well as friends and family.

George stood alongside other members of the paddock and drivers as they stood for a minute’s silence before the F2 race. Once it was over, George headed straight back to the motorhome. 

He found himself chatting with Lando and Alex ahead of the national anthem and the kneeling for back lives matter. He could sense Alex giving him a look as he chatted to Lando but he chose to ignore it. There had been plenty of conversations between George and Alex where the brunette had insisted that his friend was allowed to remain friends with Lando. He didn’t want Alex to treat Lando any differently because of his actions. It seemed that Alex still wasn’t impressed with Lando and George was just glad that he had his sunglasses on otherwise Alex would’ve seen him glaring. 

The race didn’t end well for George. Antonio had crashed in front of him on lap 11 and a tyre came loose and hit the front of George’s car as he tried to avoid the Alpha Romeo’s damaged car. He knew it wasn’t Antonio’s fault, he knew that some drivers pushed the car to the limit and it was always possible to lose control. It was unfortunate to not finish the race but George was at least thankful that it hadn’t been worse and no one was injured. 

He was somewhat surprised when Nicky came to see him after the race. The Canadian was still in his racesuit having come back from the media pen when he decided to go and see George.

“Hey, how are you?” Asked Nicky.

George sighed.

“I’m fine, thankfully no one got hurt but it’s not ideal to finish a race like that. I only made it through 11 laps.”

“It would be scary though, seeing a tyre coming straight towards you.”

George could see that Nicky was concerned and he thought it was nice that his teammate was checking in on him.

“It was.” 

“I’m really glad you’re alright, George.” Said Nicky.

George smiled.

“Thank you.”

Nicky left him to it and he couldn’t help but if there was another reason why the Canadian would be checking up on him. He pushed it to the side.

There was no way that Nicky could ever like him. Was there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should say that I am well aware that in real life, George did go to Soho Farmhouse with his girlfriend but for the purpose of the story, he goes with Nicky.


	3. Pineapple on Pizza is Unacceptable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Formula 1 arrives in Italy where George might actually get a new start in life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Here is another chapter for the story, possibly an anticlimax but I'm not sorry! In this chapter, Formula 1 arrives in Italy where the Williams team also have to deal with the fact that Claire will be leaving. Things may also be moving forward for George. I'm trying to catch up with the races and once I've done that, I will go back to writing about Lando and Carlos. Hope you all enjoy and if there is anything you would like to see in this story, please let me know!

Alex was jealous of Nicky. He couldn’t help it. He had started to develop feelings for his best friend not that long after George had ended things with Lando. At the time, he knew he couldn’t say anything because George had not long come out of a relationship. Now that he had finally gathered up the courage to at least do something about it, it was clear that George didn’t like him that way. It didn’t stop Alex from being jealous of Nicky.

The Canadian was spending a lot of time with George which was understandable because they were teammates but when George told Alex that he had gone to Soho Farmhouse with Nicky, he was a bit suspicious. Alex was sure that George had feelings for Nicky and he was also sure that the Canadian had feelings for George. 

When Alex had left George’s car after their little talk in Silverstone, he didn’t know what to do with himself. He would probably have to avoid George for a bit to save himself some embarrassment after the kiss but George was his best friend. He couldn’t avoid him forever. 

Alex didn’t go to see George after the crash in Spa. He knew he had to take a step back. He couldn’t be around George all the time. 

By the time Alex had arrived in Monza, he hadn’t heard from George in a while. It made him wonder if he had ruined things between them and deep down he knew that he would need to stop being so jealous of Nicky. George was his own person, he could spend time with whoever he wanted to and he could date whoever he wanted to. If that person wasn’t Alex then he would just have to live with it. 

When George arrived at the paddock on Thursday morning, he was not expecting to be pulled into a meeting with Claire and Nicky. It was announced that Claire and Sir Frank would be leaving the team and that Monza would be Claire’s last race as a deputy team principal. George could see how difficult it was for Claire to step back as the team had been a part of her family for years. He knew it would be difficult for the team to see Claire leave and he himself knew it was going to be hard as Claire had given him his first step into Formula 1.

George was able to cheer himself up as he made some pizzas along with Nicky for a video that would be on social media after the race weekend. He couldn’t get enough of his teammate laughing and taking the mick out of him as he prepared his second pizza which literally had everything on it. 

Later as they headed back to their drivers’ rooms, Nicky was shaking his head at George.

“I still can’t believe you put pineapple on your pizza.” Said Nicky.

George laughed.

“It’s nice, you should try it some time.”

Even with the mask on, George could tell that Nicky was pulling a face.

“No thanks.”

George was just about to step into his room when Nicky cleared his throat.

“Maybe I can show you that Italians make the best pizza and they are made without pineapples on top.”

George blushed behind his mask.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” He said, softly.

Nicky smiled as he headed into his room and George was left wondering if that was a hint of a possible date in the future.

Alex had been trying hard to ignore Nicky but it was impossible when the Canadian was in the paddock and was his best friend’s teammate. He actually bumped into Nicky on the Friday night as they arrived at the hotel. They greeted one another after they had stepped out of their cars. Nicky had walked on ahead as he made his way into the hotel. Alex was going to go to his room but he wanted to speak to Nicky and he couldn’t shake it off. He followed the Canadian before he called on him when they walked down an empty corridor. Nicky stopped and turned to face Alex when he heard his name.

“What’s up?” Asked Nicky.

Alex bit his lip before he thought about what he was going to say.

“Do you like George?” He asked, hesitantly.

Nicky frowned.

“Well, he’s my teammate and we got on quite well. We’ve raced against one another before and he’s a great guy.” Replied Nicky.

“I didn’t mean in that way.” Stuttered Alex.

It took a moment for Nicky to realise what Alex was talking about.

“Oh.”

Alex looked down at the floor.

“Would there be a problem if I do like him?” Asked Nicky.

Alex looked up at him and blushed.

“No, no. It’s just, I think he likes you but he won’t say anything and he’s already told me that he doesn’t want a relationship with me and he doesn’t want to rush into things when he does start dating again.” He rambled.

Nicky shook his head.

“Alex, what are you trying to say?” He asked, confused.

Alex sighed.

“If you do like George and if you by any chance happen to start dating, I don’t want George to get hurt. He’s my best friend and I care about him a lot. He was in a relationship that ended badly and he deserves someone who will make him happy.”

“If you’re talking about Lando, I know some of the story. Well, I know that he cheated on George with Carlos but I probably don’t know the whole story.” Said Nicky.

“Oh, you know?” Asked Alex, surprised.

“I knew that he had been dating Lando but he told me that the relationship hadn’t ended well. I don’t know everything that went on.” Replied Nicky.

It hit Alex like a ton of bricks. George clearly trusted Nicky enough to tell him about his relationship and the fact that Carlos and Lando had an affair. He was surprised that George had spoken to someone but then again, if he liked Nicky then it couldn’t be a total surprise. He cleared his throat, nervously.

“Look, Nicky. I really like George and I care for him as I’ve said but he doesn’t want a relationship with me. He knows that I like him but he doesn’t want to take it to the next step because he doesn’t want to ruin our relationship. Also, he did say he doesn’t look at me that way. I can’t tell him what to do and I can’t tell you what to do. I would be lying if I said I was happy with the amount of time you’re spending with one another. Then again, you are teammates. The thing is, he likes you and I’m sure he likes you, he just won’t admit it. Just, promise me that if you do start dating him that you’ll look after him. He deserves some love in his life and I’m sure you can give it to him.”

Nicky stood there in silence for a bit as he took in Alex’s words. He eventually nodded and Alex sighed. They awkwardly parted ways as they both knew they couldn’t have a late night because qualifying was the next day. 

Once Alex entered his room, he flung himself down on the bed. He was sure that Nicky would probably have words with George. He knew there was no chance of getting together with George. There were no regrets in telling Nicky that George liked him. He knew it was true. He could only hope that the two drivers would act on their feelings. All he wanted was for his best friend to be happy, even if they couldn’t be together. Alex would just have to deal with it.

When Nicky got back to his room, he couldn't help but think about what Alex had said. Apparently, George had feelings for him and he could sense that Alex was jealous. He was surprised that Alex had feelings for George and had spoken to his friend about it. He had been trying to find the courage to tell his teammate how he felt. The issue was, he didn't know when the right time was. 

The race finished on Sunday evening and both Nicky and George were disappointed to miss out of points. They were also disappointed that it was Claire's last race in charge. As of next week, Williams would no longer be run by the Williams family. 

Both drivers were getting ready for the party that the team were throwing later that evening. Nicky decided to go and see George. He knocked gently on the door and opened it when George called out. George was surprised to see his teammate but he just smiled at him. 

"Hey."

Nicky smiled as George fiddled with the collar of his shirt. He now felt slightly bad because he was just wearing his team kit. He did have to admit that he liked George's shirt. 

"Hey."

Nicky rolled up the sleeves of his fleece as he glanced over at George who was now running his hands through his hair. 

"Can we talk?" Asked Nicky. 

George dropped his hands and nearly gulped as the Canadian sounded so serious. 

"Yeah, is everything alright?" He asked, concerned. 

Nicky shook his head. 

"It's nothing to worry about, it's just I was speaking to Alex the other day."

George swallowed nervously as he waited for Nicky to continue. 

"He was just asking me questions and he was giving me this big speech. I was somewhat confused by it."

George frowned. He had no idea where this was going. 

"You know when I was talking about the pizza the other day, I was meaning it as a date." Said Nicky, softly. 

George stared at him with wide eyes. 

"Sorry?" 

Nicky smiled. 

"I would like to go on a date with you."

George just stared at him in shock. Nicky felt nervous as George wasn't responding to him.

"Would you want to go out on a date with me?" Asked Nicky, hesitantly. 

George nodded frantically. 

"Yeah, yeah of course."

Nicky chuckled and George blushed. 

"Alex was talking about dating the other day."

George froze.

"What?" 

"He was saying that he liked you and wanted to date you but you've told him no. I think he gave me permission to date you as long as I make you happy."

Nicky moved towards George as his teammate rubbed at the back of his neck. 

"I don't think I need his permission to date you, do I?" Nicky questioned. 

"No." Murmured George. 

Nicky lifted a hand to cup George's cheek as he stroked over the soft skin. 

"Alex said you have feelings for me."

George didn't respond and just gazed into Nicky’s eyes. 

"Do you?" Asked Nicky. 

George smiled. 

"What would you do if I said yes?" He whispered. 

Nicky didn't reply. He smiled then leaned in to kiss George. His teammate grabbed the bottom of his fleece as they got closer to one another. When the kiss eventually ended, they rested their foreheads together. Nicky sighed. 

"As much as I want to continue this, I think we should go before someone comes looking for us." Said Nicky, quietly. 

It was only then that George remembered about the party. Nicky pulled away and patted George's hip before he walked towards the door. He turned back to look at the brunette who hadn't moved. 

"Are you coming or what?" Asked Nicky. 

He had a cheeky grin on his face and George smiled before he followed his teammate and the door closed behind them. 

They both grabbed a drink as the team celebrated around them. When they had a quiet moment to themselves, Nicky held up his glass.

“Here’s to the future.” He said, softly.

George smiled.

“Here’s to a new start.”

Nicky smiled at him and they raised their glasses to toast one another. 

As the party went on, it got to the point where different team members were calling it a night. George and Nicky headed to their drivers’ room to grab their backpacks. They paused before they stepped into their rooms.

“Do you want to come back to my hotel room?” Asked Nicky.

George nodded.

“I’ll meet you at the hotel, check your messages. I’ll text you my room number.”

Both drivers grabbed their bags before they headed out of the paddock in the direction of their cars. When George arrived at the hotel, he headed to his room to dump his bag and Aleix decided not to question where the young Brit was going. Nicky had told him the room number so he headed straight to the room. He knocked on the door and patiently waited for his teammate. Eventually, Nicky opened the door and smiled at him as he opened the door wider so George could step into the room. The door closed behind them and they gazed into each others’ eyes. Nicky gently cupped George’s cheek again and pulled him in for a kiss, smiling when he felt George wrap his arms around his waist. They pulled away when they ran out of air and George rested his head on Nicky’s shoulder, sighing in content. Nicky wrapped his arms around him and ran a hand over his back. 

“Do you want to lie down?” Asked Nicky.

He felt George nod against his shoulder and he pulled away so they could head over to the bed. George quickly took off his shoes before they laid down. Nicky was lying on his back whilst George was cuddled into his side, an arm wrapped over Nicky’s waist. They lay in silence for a bit until Nicky decided to tell George in full about the conversation he had with Alex the other day. George listened intently and shook his head when the Canadian told him that Alex admitted that he had feelings for George. He ran a hand over Nicky’s chest. 

“He kissed me in Austria. He came to see me and we were talking about Lando and he asked if I had considered moving on. I didn’t kiss him back. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about dating anyone and certainly not Alex. We’re great friends and I don’t want to ruin that. I spoke to him at Silverstone and I told him I didn’t have feelings for him.” Said George.

He moved so that he could see Nicky and the Canadian ran his hand down George’s back again.

“I want to take things slowly. I trust you, Nicky, which is why I don’t want to ruin this and to have a repeat like Lando. I’m not saying you would cheat but maybe if things had worked out differently, Lando might not have cheated on me. You mean a lot to me, I want to make this work.” Murmured George.

“I want to make this work too and we’ll be fine, we’ll take things slowly.” Said Nicky, softly.

George smiled and leaned in to close the gap. They kissed for a while as George cupped the back of Nicky’s neck. George pulled back and accidentally yawned, blushing as his teammate chuckled at him.

“I think it’s someone’s bedtime.” Said Nicky.

George nodded and sat up, watching as Nicky sat up too.

“I would suggest that you stay the night but we have plenty of time for that.” Said Nicky.

“We do.” Agreed George.

George moved away from the bed and put his shoes back on. He walked towards the door as Nicky followed him, the Canadian leaned against the wall.

“Do you have any plans over the next few days?” Asked George.

Nicky thought about it but nothing came to mind.

“Not really, I’ll probably be heading to Tuscany in a few days, why?”

“I was planning on going to Lake Garda before I go to Tuscany, you could come with me if you want.” 

Nicky smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, sounds good. Maybe, I can show you how Italians make their pizza, you know, without pineapples.” He replied, cheekily.

George rolled his eyes.

“I’m never going to hear the end of this.” He mumbled.

His heart nearly melted as Nicky chuckled at him. Eventually, Nicky calmed down and continued to gaze at George.

“I’ll message you tomorrow.” He said.

George nodded.

“Yeah.”

Nicky moved forward and gently kissed George’s forehead before the brunette opened the door. 

“I’ll see you around.” Said George.

Nicky nodded.

“You will.”

He winked and George laughed before he finally opened the door and left the room. That night, all George could think about was Nicky.

As he headed for breakfast the next morning, George was whistling happily as he walked along the various corridors. He was unaware that Lando was watching him. His mind was on other things or more so, other people.


	4. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A win during a quiz is the main highlight of Nicky's week whilst George has to deal with missing out on points in Tuscany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Another chapter has been added which focuses mainly on Mugello which features a crash as well as George missing out on points. As this is my own story, I should point out in reference to the end of the chapter that I have no idea if Nicky sleeps shirtless or whether George does either. Hence, why for the purpose of this story, I've written it was it is. The next installment I will be working on is Lando finding out about George's relationship with Nicky, I might add Alex's reaction as well (we'll see). After that, I will go back to Lando/Carlos and go race by race until the end of the series. Hope you all enjoy!

By the time George and Nicky arrived in Tuscany, they had spent a few days in Lake Garda, getting to know one another. It was nice to have a few days to themselves as they got to grips with their new relationship. 

They were able to enjoy a quiz on media that George believed he should’ve won but would allow Nicky to take the win. After the quiz had been filmed, they headed back to their driver rooms to collect their water bottles ahead of the press conference. Nicky sneaked into George’s room, thankful that Aleix wasn’t around. He smiled and giggled at George who shook his head fondly when he saw the Canadian. 

“Are you over your win yet?” Asked George.

Nicky rolled his eyes.

“Still annoyed that you didn’t get the point for Bahrain?” He teased.

George sighed and struggled to hold back a smile. Nicky giggled again and moved towards George so he could wrap his arms around him. 

“You’re so hyper.” Moaned George.

“Are you complaining?”

George coughed a laugh. 

“No.”

He wrapped his arms around Nicky’s waist as the Canadian gazed into his eyes.

“At least I get to win something.” Said Nicky, softly.

George laughed and moved to rest their foreheads together. After a while, Nicky let go of George and kissed his cheek before he moved towards the door and put his mask on.

“Come on, we don’t want anyone to come looking for us.”

George followed his teammate and put his own mask on before he grabbed his water bottle and left the room.

Later that night, George went to visit Nicky at the hotel. He blushed as the Canadian backed him into the wall after he had opened the door for him.

“Do we have to have words about your shirtless pictures?” Asked Nicky.

George laughed.

“I don’t think so.”

Nicky leaned in closer so that his breath was practically dancing over George’s lips.

“Twice in the one day, George.”

The brunette raised an eyebrow.

“You love it.”

Nicky raised an eyebrow.

“No more posting shirtless pictures for the world to see.” He murmured.

George smiled cheekily.

“Make me.” He challenged.

Nicky huffed then leaned in and kissed George. He wrapped his arms around George’s waist as he felt the Brit run a hand through his hair. One of Nicky’s hands rested on George’s back as the Brit leaned into the touch. Nicky could feel one of George’s hands under his t-shirt, resting on his own back. He gently nibbled on George’s bottom lip before his tongue brushed against George’s lip, begging for entrance. George moaned as the kiss deepened. Suddenly, Nicky pulled away and George was panting. The Canadian smirked before he let go of George and walked towards the bed. George ran a hand through his own hair as he stared at Nicky who was now lying on the bed gazing over at him. 

“What are you doing?” Asked George, confused.

He didn’t know what was going on. He felt himself relax when Nicky chuckled and patted the bed beside him. Nicky watched as George took off his trainers then lay down beside him. He sighed as he ran a hand through George’s hair softly as the Brit stared at him.

“I just didn’t want things to move too fast, that’s all.” Explained Nicky.

George smiled and wrapped his arms around Nicky as he cuddled into his side. 

“You’re the best.” Murmured George.

“I know.” Replied Nicky, cheekily.

George snorted and hit Nicky’s chest as the Canadian laughed.

They ended up watching a film for a couple of hours before George reluctantly said he would have to go back to his room. Nicky gently kissed George’s hair before he let him go. The Brit put his shoes back on before he headed for the door as Nicky followed him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Said George, softly. 

Nicky nodded and smiled.

“Yeah, you will.”

He leaned in and gently kissed George before his teammate smiled at him and opened the door before leaving the room. 

Things were slightly chaotic for the Williams team ahead of the race. Both drivers finished in 16th position in different practices. George practically missed the entire final practice as there was an issue with his car on the installation lap. During qualifying, George and Nicky could only manage P18 and P19 respectfully. Both drivers knew that it was going to be a difficult race but they were hopeful to make up for things in the race. 

Both George and Nicky tried to keep to their own routines ahead of every practice session as well as qualifying. Things were now different between them as their friendship had now developed into a relationship. They were both content to keep things slow and be honest with one another. The only thing that had changed so far was the fact that they were now spending the nights together after they had returned from the paddock. They slept in their own rooms but they were content to be by each other’s side as they were in the car and debriefs for most of the day in the lead up to Sunday. It was also one of the very few times where they could be alone. Things would be different when they returned to London, they could stay with each other if they wanted to and do whatever they wanted to within reason. Right now, they had a race to focus on.

When race day came, no one quite knew how the race was going to pan out. Tuscany had never hosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix before so everyone knew that things would be interesting. All of the teams were aware that they couldn’t necessarily take anything for granted even after watching Formula 2 and Formula 3.

The race was chaotic and unpredictable. There was a safety car on the first lap because Pierre and Max were caught up in the carnage of the first couple of corners. Once the safety car had left the track, there was chaos in the midfield and four cars ended up retiring. The race was red flagged in order to clear up all the debris on the track. It wasn’t until George returned to the garage that he realised Nicky had been caught up in all of the chaos and he was one of the four who had retired. The other drivers were Antonio, Kevin and Carlos. It had just been chaos. 

When the race did restart, George found himself in a position as he was in the points. The team were holding their breath throughout the race as George found himself in P9. Everything was going well for George until lap 43 when Lance crashed out. There was another red flag and another period of being stuck in the garage. George had yet to see Nicky but he knew he had to focus on the race so he was forced to push the Canadian out of his mind. 

George made a poor getaway when the race restarted again. He was cursing in the car as he was down in 12th place. 

In the end, he finished 11th. He spent the latter part of the race chasing Seb but it wasn’t enough. He was disappointed as he could’ve had some points if there hadn’t been another safety car. It wasn’t until he thought about Nicky that he found himself grateful to have even crossed the finishing line. Points would come, the team was improving and they would get there eventually.

George couldn’t wait to get back to the motorhome after he had been in the media pen. Most of the questions were about the potential for points and George struggled to hide his disappointment. 

He found Fergus sitting in the VIP area outside of the drivers’ rooms on his phone and he wondered if Nicky was still around. 

“Hey, Fergus, is Nicky alright?” Asked George.

Fergus looked up.

“Oh yeah, he’s fine. He’s in his room. He was on the phone to his parents that’s why I’m sitting out here.”

George nodded and moved away to head to Nicky’s room when Fergus called his name.

“Such a shame you missed out on points, mate. You’ll get some eventually.” Insisted Fergus.

George smiled behind his mask then went over to the door of Nicky’s room and knocked gently before opening the door and peering into the room. Nicky smiled at him from where he was sitting on his sofa, playing on his phone. George stepped into the room and closed the door behind as Nicky stood up. The Brit raced over to his teammate and wrapped his arms around him. He sighed as he rested his chin on Nicky’s shoulder as the Canadian wrapped his arms around him.

“Are you alright?” Asked George quietly.

“I’m fine.” Promised Nicky.

“It looked so scary though.” Mumurmed George.

Nicky sighed and pulled away from George before he cupped his face in his hands.

“I’m fine, I promise. Not a scratch on me. Just shock but I’m alright, it could’ve been a lot worse.”

George nodded and gazed into Nicky’s eyes. The Canadian leaned in to kiss George’s forehead. George sighed as Nicky pulled away.

“I have to go to my room for debrief.”

The team were doing socially distanced debriefs so Nicky and George were able to sit in their rooms whilst the engineers were in the garage. Nicky had already talked with his engineers but there wasn’t much to go through as his race had finished early. George hadn’t spoken to his engineers since the race.

“I’ll see you later then. I think we’re on the same flight back to London.” Said Nicky.

George nodded and Nicky gently kissed his forehead again before he took a step back. The Brit grabbed one of Nicky’s hands and gave it a tight squeeze, causing Nicky to smile. He reluctantly left his teammate’s room and headed to his own room for the post race debrief. 

He messaged Nicky when it was time to leave the paddock and they headed out to the car park before they made their way to the airport. Both drivers were on the same flight so they spent time with each other in the airport before they boarded the plane. They had to sit in separate seats so they didn’t see each other until the plane landed in London. It wasn’t until they had collected their luggage and headed for the exit that Nicky turned to George.

“Will you spend the night with me?” Asked Nicky.

George gazed into Nicky’s eyes and nodded. It was late at night and George didn’t really want to head back to his apartment and be on his own. 

When they arrived at Nicky’s apartment, George got changed into his pajamas and crawled into Nicky’s bed as he waited for the Canadian. He scoffed when he saw that Nicky was shirtless and only wearing a pair of black shorts. 

“You go on at me about being shirtless but it’s alright for you.” George said in disbelief.

Nicky chuckled.

“I don’t post shirtless pictures online, there’s a difference. Besides, the only time I’m shirtless is in bed.”

George rolled his eyes as Nicky moved towards the bed and lay down next to George. 

“Maybe I could get used to seeing you shirtless.” The Brit teased.

Nicky raised an eyebrow.

“I might change my mind.”

The Canadian tickled George’s side and crawled on top of him as the Brit giggled. George calmed down and sighed as he stared at Nicky. He reached out a hand to stroke Nicky’s dark hair. 

“I’m glad I’m here with you.” He murmured.

Nicky smiled before he leaned down to close the gap and the couple kissed for a while. Nicky pulled back and looked at the clock on his bedside table before he leaned down to give George a quick kiss. 

“We should get some sleep.” He whispered.

George hummed as his eyes suddenly began to droop. Nicky crawled off of George and switched off the lamp then lay beside him as he encouraged George to roll over onto his side so he could cuddle into his back. George sighed in content as Nicky wrapped an arm around him and laced their fingers together.

“Goodnight, George.” Whispered Nicky.

The Brit smiled sleepily.

“Goodnight, Nicky.”


End file.
